Could the British Airways strike bring down Gordon Brown?

Gordon Brown and the UK government are in a very difficult situation this evening amid criticism of the government's very close relationship with the Unite union. This is the union which is at the heart of the British Airways strike activity which is scheduled to begin at the end of this week and will impact upon the financial stability of the company, affect thousands of passengers and dent the reputation of British Airways in the worldwide travel industry.

It has taken the UK government more than eight months to step up to the mark and call for the strikes, which have crippled the company, to be called off. However, Gordon Brown's recent condemnation of the strike activity has highlighted the very close relationship between the Labour government and the Unite union. This has the potential to literally bring Gordon Brown down with many UK voters unaware of exactly how close the two parties are.

It will take more than lip service from Gordon Brown to regain the trust of UK voters, many of whom will be impacted over the Easter period when the strike activity is planned. British Airways is now playing hardball with the Unite union appearing to backtrack and demanding that an earlier offer from British Airways is placed back on the table - but will Willie Walsh comply with this request?